With his informative and entertaining Where's That? series in this newspaper, Flann O Riain admirably illustrates Thoreau's saying that "wherever men have lived there is a story to be told, and it depends chiefly on the story-teller or historian whether that is interesting or not". Now he has selected 118 townlands in Leinster from the series for this book, which is a rich collection of toponymic, topographic and historical data about the selected townlands. Not only does the author derive the meaning of townland place-names but he also provides such a wealth of family history that one is tempted to suggest that his series should be titled `Who's That? Happily he meets this suggestion with the sub-title to this collection - "and the people who lived there". This is a fascinating hoard of local history which, it is hoped, will be replicated in similar books about the other three provinces. Some simple maps showing location and extent of the townlands mentioned would add to the value of such books.
The Grand Tour of Beara. Compiled by Penelope Durell and Cornelius Kelly. Cailleach Books, £9.50
The wild and beautiful Beara peninsula in Co Cork, one of several gnarled fingers of land reaching into the Atlantic in the south-west, has been visited by many literary figures and others over the past 400 years. These have varied from Thomas Stafford, an Elizabethan soldier in 1602, through Tennyson, the poet, in 1848 to our own Ben Kiely in 1978. In this collection 52 visitors to the area have recorded their experiences and impressions of Beara, its topography, antiquities, plant life and people. The accounts vary in length and interest, and the compilers have attached a brief biography of each contributor as an introduction to the different essays. There are numerous illustrations (sketches and photographs) and the whole is an attractive and interesting compilation that will grab the attention, not just of Cork readers but of outsiders as well.
Dublin Castle in the Life of the Irish Nation. By Peter Costello. Wolfhound Press, £20
Considering its crucial role in the history of Ireland, the chronicling of the story of "Ireland's Bastille" (and of the previous fortifications on its site) would seem a daunting task. Yet in this attractive book the accomplished historian Peter Costello has succeeded, with a succinct text and many telling photographs, in compiling such a history in 160 pages. From Celtic dun and Viking stronghold, through Norman development and later additions, Dublin Castle has dominated Dublin and Irish life for more than 2000 years, for 700 of which it was the centre of English rule in Ireland. While recording the physical and architectural development of the Castle as a stronghold, administrative centre and, more recently, a State conference location, Peter Costello does not overlook the many human-interest stories associated with the place, like the imprisonment there of notables such as Red Hugh O'Donnell (who escaped from the Castle in 1591) or Archbishop Peter Talbot (who died in its dungeons in 1680); the theft of the Irish Crown jewels in 1907 and the use of parts of the castle as hospital wards during the 1916 Rising. This is a volume to be commended for visitor and local alike.
The Outer Edge of Ulster. By Hugh Dorian. Edited by Breandan Mac Suibhne and David Dickson. Lilliput Press, £25
Hugh Dorian (1834-1914) was a teacher and writing clerk from Co Donegal who finished this remarkable memoir in the 1890s. The original was lost, though photocopies were deposited in the Folklore Commission and the National Library in 1946. A manuscript copy lay also in the library of St Columb's College in Derry. These copies provide the text for this fascinating publication, now seen in print for the first time, although there were, over the years, tantalising references to it in other social and cultural histories. Dorian chronicles life in a particular part of Co Donegal (never mentioned by name) in the 19th century, describing the impact on a small community of such events as the Great Famine, the demise of landlordism (exemplified by his account of the killing of Lord Leitrim), the Fenians and the decline of the Irish language. This is a personal narrative without peer, to which the knowledgeable editors have added a lengthy and masterly introduction and many explanatory footnotes. This surely is destined to become a classic of its genre.
The Story of Dunsany Castle. By Malachy Lynch and Mary-Rose Carty. Carty-Lynch, no price given
In essence this is a potted history of the Plunkett family of Dunsany and Killeen, Co Meath ("an old family who bought their books and furniture new", according to the current Lord Dunsany, Edward Plunkett) and incorporates notes and information collected by the late David W. Lynch. The Plunketts and their relations, the Cusacks and Bewleys, have a long and distinguished association with Dunsany, and this 110-page book records the family lineage with special reference to St Oliver Plunkett and Sir Horace Plunkett and, of course, Edward, 18th Baron of Dunsany, the noted writer and playwright.
A Guide to Local History Sources in the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland. By Jonathan Bardon. Blackstaff Press, £9.99 in UK
Guides to sources are normally not the most fascinating reading matter one may encounter in a bookshop or library. What makes Jonathan Bardon's sequel to Tracing your Ancestors in Northern Ireland so different is its blend of information and illustrative stories drawn from the sources - like this one from the Aghadowey Session Book of August 24th, 1704: "Jo Boid (states) he saw John Wooden one morning lying in bed with Margt. Finla. But the wife of said John Wooden was sitting by the bed . . . " Jonathan Bardon asks: was this a fuss over nothing? Or is it an early 18thcentury instance of an Ulster menage a trois? Such gems are found in the many unusual sources listed by the author - not just official records but also personal journals, diaries and memoirs. This is an ideal key to unlocking the rich treasure chest of manuscript material in the PRONI, as entertaining as it is rewarding and a delight to read.
Richard Roche is an author, local historian and critic